Boieeb-tube cleanek



Feb. 3, 1931. STALEY 1,790,954

BoILER- TUBE CLEANER Filed March 2. 1928 INVENTOR.

Patented Feb.3,1931 I 1,790,954

I i nana'rson or MABTF IhIS VZtLLE,r1ID I-AIT A I V jinoitnn rnnn ernnnan r Application ma miarcha sas; fl-ifsfia n rasac ii. p p I v r This invention relates to rotary cleaners departingfrom'the spirit'andscope in:

which are used for removing scale from boiler Vention as. defined in m the appended claims. tubes and particularly to the type comprising Referring to the accompanying drawings, I

a rotary head and swinging armsconnected the numeral 2 designates the body of the tube to the head and carrying rotatable toothed cleaner which'is provided with a'centralhub 65- cutters which" are thrown out against the 3 preferably threaded internally to afford scale by centrifugal force. I I Q w connecting'means for rotating the same: The The effectiveness of this class of cleaners bodyis'further provided: with agcentral bar depends on the amount of centrifugal pres- 4 which connectsrear head tokfronthead I sure that can be brought to bear upon the ro- 16, these heads having two pairs of oppositetatable cutters,'it being well known to the art ly extending 'ears5', 5a with aligning aperthat the greater the'pressure the fasterthe tures therein for receiving pins 6to form cutting action.- trunnions for the swingingarms/Y; ;Trun- Rotary tube cleaners have hitherto been nions 6 can be secured in the ears by-riveting ed in a swinging arm, an arrangement that advisable to remove from the central bar 4 prohibits the successful use of sufiicient a central part of the diagonal corners 8, 8a 7 weight in the arm to produce very high cento permit cutters 9 on bolts 12 "to nest proper, 7

provided with a single row of cutters mountor by any other suitableinethod.v I find it 6 5 I trifugal pressure for the reason, that when ly when the arm is in closed position. I I the tube wall is reached and the cutters per- In the preferred design, the cleaner is 7 mitted to run freely over-the'exposed metal, equipped with two opposed swinging arms 1 great damage to both cutters and tube wall of the U or bifurcated type and as these are results. identical in construction, I shall describe one It is the object of my invention, first, to only; V, i Y

provide a cleaner with aplurality of swinging The armis provided with a web or bar 10 arms, each arm carrying two rows of rotatwhich is. bored longitudinally to afford fa-s Y able cutters so mounted thereon that all the cilities for pivoting the arm, to the body 2 centrifugal pressure is carried at times betweena pair of the extending ears 5,5a. against the scale on one set of cutters, second, Arm members 11, 11a have aligning holes 3Q to provide facilities in a tube cleaner where for removably securing .two bolts 12," 12a by the centrifugal pressure of the swinging therein to act as journals iforvthe toothed arm is automatically shifted from one cutcutters,these.bolts-being mounted in: the ting contact to two cutting contacts when the arm parallel to its axis of rotation. I pre tube wall is reached, and third,to provide a fer that the cutter bolts" 12, 120; have heads cleaner which eliminates the poimding action and be screw threaded'o'n one end and ex- I caused by the cutters striking projecting tend beyond thefront arm member'lla and pieces of scale, said pounding action being carry conical shaped-cutters13rbetweenthe very'damaging to both tube wall and cleaner bolt head and said arm member. 1 The holes parts. in the rear-arm member 11. are threaded to In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is receive thethreaded end' of the cutter bolts. 9

a side elevation of the tool Figure 2 an end To bring the conical cutters 13 beyond a View with head in normal position; Figure point of interference with theffront head 16 3 is a transverse section on lines AA in when the arm is inclosed position, hub ex- Figure 1 with arms expanded; Figure 4 is a tensionsl l are providedon the armfmemperspective view of the body; Figure 5 is a ber 11a.- The arm is held, within certain perspective View of the swinging arm. swinging limits by stops 17 which engage The naturev of my, invention will be best the side oflthe bar #l on its outward moveunderstood by reference to the drawings, it mentl z I V p 1 I being premised, however, that various modi- I havefdevi'sed means whereby cutters on ficatious of the device may be made without the bolt 12 can be combined with the weight f of the swinging arm 7 to greatly increase the centrifugal pressure on the cutters 9 mounted on the bolts 12a until the tube wall is reached when a division of this pressure occurs, part of it being then carried by cutters on the bolt 12. I Y

I have.further'discoveredj that because of the very great pressure or force-exerted on the cutters mounted on the bolt 12a by. the cleaner being driven at high rotation, no sharp rebounding action occurs when -it strikes a projecting piece of scale, and that the cleaner is held firmly against thework. I have lastly discovered that in any modification of a cleaner which carries out this principle, the axis of the cutter mounted on the bolt 12a will always be :to one side eta straight'line drawn from the pivot .6 to the axis of the cutter o-n the bolt 12 and that when all these points are connected by lines,

theiy make an obtuse triangle. 7 t is to be understood that tube. cleaners of this type must be arranged in size for one particular diameter of boiler tube.

Although arrangement of relations :can be Worked out whereby cutters of the same diameter can be mounte'don the bolts 12, 12a,

' I'prefer to' use cutters ofdiflierent diameters and place the cutters of larger diameter on the bolt 12a which is located in the arm nearest the pivot 6. 7

No claim for novelty is made for cutters which areof the radial tooth variety well known to the art. 1

Having fully xdescribed my invention, 1' claim as new: 1 1 I g 1. A tube cleaner comprising a body adapted to be rotated, :armspivoted thereto to swing transversely to the axis of rotation, two rows of cutters mounted rota-tivelyon each of said arms, the axis of one row of cutters describing a larger arc than the axis of'theother row.

2. In a tube cleaner, a rotary body having frontand rear heads, swinging arms pivoted to the head members, cutters of different diameters mounted on each of said arms with the cutters of larger diameter nearest the pivot points of said arms. 1

I3. The combination of a body having lateral projections thereto, U shapedarms pivoted to the projections, a plurality of bolts or :pins secured to each of the arms parallel to the axis of rotation,.cutters @of different diameter mounted on the bolts, the cutters of larger diameter -being mounted on: the bolts nearest the pivot points of said arms.

'4. In a'tube cleaning device, the combina tion of a body having a-flat central section, front and rear heads integral with the central section, means for driving-{the device larger diameter being mounted nearest the pivot points of said arms.

5. The combination of a body having oppositely disposed lateral projections thereon, swinging arms pivoted to the projections, two rows of cutters mountedrotatively-on eachof the arms in such a manner that lines connecting the axes of the cutterswith each other and with the axis of the arm make an obtuse triangle, the apex of whose obtuse angle is inthe' direction of the outward movement of said arm.

6. The combinatlon of a tube cleaning deattached to "the rear head, bifurcated arms 7 pivoted between the front and rear heads, tworows of cutters of different diameters carried by each ofthe arms, the "cutters of 

